Rembrandt

- Rembrandt

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Remme's Photo Gallery

"It must be the cinemotography or special effects!" I said , eyes riveted to the TV screen as I watched the satiny black muzzle emerge from a cloud of thick fog. The feathery hooves that followed seemingly in slow motion, lingering above the ground as if to defy gravity. The essence of power and grace, this creature moved as though he owned the universe…."No horse can move like that!" I thought…. I had been watching the movie Lady Hawke.

Later I was to learn that it was not the clever hand of editing, but was indeed magic..The magic and majesty of the Friesian horse. From that moment on I dared to dream of owning one. And for the next year I saved just about every cent I earned…..Then my search began…..The internet was my tool of choice. I went to every Friesian website in the USA that I could find. At that time most farms only had foals for sale, but there were a couple of 2 year olds and a few crosses.

Though all were beautiful I never felt any connection with them at all. So I decided to continue my search in the Netherlands. Then, quite by chance, I ran across Shaana Pritchard here in the States. I had noticed her name was very prominent in Dressage and Friesian circles so I sent her an email to ask her opinion and advice. I waited on pins and needles for her reply! At that time, through some stroke of luck we were actually using the same agent! I was thrilled to be able to get her insight, which she gave freely and with great enthusiasm. She actually laid all my fears to rest…

My dream horse came into my life, in the shape of a 3yr old Anton 343 son. One look at his face and that connection I was looking for struck my heart like a bolt of lightning! I knew without a doubt that he was the one. I waited anxiously during the next phase, which was the pre-purchase Vet exam- x-rays, treadmill, scans, and so on. (Fine toothed comb time). I held my breath praying that he would be all clear, AND HE WAS!!!!!!!!!!! The last step was to ship him here to his new home. I must say, that buying a horse I had never seen in person, from an agent I had never met, made me very anxious to put it mildly. I was a nervous wreck! But it was all for nothing. I can’t recall anything in my life that was as easy as the transaction to purchase and ship this horse. Everything was done for me. All I had to do was wire the money. From Europe to my door here in the Eastern USA and I did nothing but wait. Honestly that was the hardest part! I have Ingrid and Cor Soeterbroek to thank for all their hard work and dedication in matching me to the horse of my dreams…

November 2, 2000. Wasn’t this the year the world was supposed to end? Computers crashed, sending a once ordered, organized world into chaos….But my Friesian horse traveled 7000 miles without a single glitch. It was late morning on a crisp fall day. The wind blew a burst of snow flurries northward across the fields. They swirled around the walkway in front of me as I made my way to the barn. The red barn that stood silent and empty as if waiting, like me, for the same momentous event. I still remember my heart pounding as the tractor trailer seemed to take an eternity to navigate the quarter mile driveway. Then my Remme was home, prancing down the ramp to his new family…his new Mom, who was finally able to touch that sweet face for the first time….Oh the tears, the tears! As my hands entangled in his profuse forelock I felt I had known him forever, and that somehow, he too had been waiting for me.

It’s been 5 years now, and I am awed on a daily basis…we’ve been through many adventures together…including the honor of an invitation to be part of a spectacular Friesian Stallion Quadrille Exhibition at Devon PA, in the fall of 2003 -and the near tragedy that ended that trip prematurely—a frightening bout with the West Nile Virus.
For a heart wrenching moment or two I thought our time together might be over before we had really gotten started….But we were blessed with Remme’s strong will and his return to health. Now I know this is only the beginning of our endeavors. We shall try our hand at driving this year I think, continue our dressage training with the steady but gentle guidance of Jackie Hyde- and of course we will explore lots and lots of trails.

~This morning, is the first frost we’ve had this autumn. I stand in the paddock shivering, partly from the cold but mostly from anticipation for I know I have merely to utter his name, then wait to see the cloudy breath from his nostrils. He pricks up his ears, his neck is arched, then the blur of mane and feathers flying in full gallop as he comes to greet me…and I feel like my heart will explode! …Magic, pure and simple.